Senor Frog's

The waitress is at the next table is telling the men seated there that they should come back later in the evening. Among the festivities she lists as enticements is the chance of seeing one of her coworkers outfitted with a backpack of sorts -- picture the device used in Ghostbusters, she suggests -- squirting alcohol directly into the mouths of patrons.

So if you were worried that Senor Frog’s has dialed back its Spring Break-like practices following a news story last month that a woman who caused a crash while driving in the wrong direction on the East-West Expressway after drinking at the new International Drive bar and restaurant, you can rest assured. (As reported in the Orlando Sentinel, the woman, who said she had also been to a friend’s house, had a blood-alcohol level of .212, well over the legally intoxicated level of .08.)

Senor Frog’s is owned by Grupo Anderson, a restaurant group out of Mexico that also owns Carlos’n Charlies’, which made a brief appearance a couple of years ago in Lake Mary. Most of the company’s restaurants are in Mexico, but a few are scattered in the Caribbean and in the U.S. They tend to target tourist spots, hence the new location on International Drive.

Some question the appropriateness of an establishment known more as a watering hole than a restaurant, given that Orlando is known more as a family destination. But its proximity to the convention center and the surrounding hotels means that it will be on the radar of plenty of adults looking for out-of-town fun, so it should do well there.

Not that it should. At least not for the quality of its food. I won’t be surprising anyone by saying that food is not its forte. But I certainly recommend that you do order copious amounts of items from the menu if you visit on one of the rowdier evenings, if for no other reason than to fill your stomach with something that will help sop up any alcohol someone happens to squirt into your mouth.

You’d think, however, that a Mexican company would take a little more pride in presenting an authentic representation of its food. Not so, apparently. I had the Mexican platter, which included an enchilada, mini chimichangas, deep-fried chile poppers, steak and a mound of rice with bits of corn kernels plus a splotch of refried beans. There wasn’t a thing about the food that I can recommend, although most of it was ultimately edible (probably much more palatable after a few shots). Overall it was just boringly bland. The enchilada was notable in that it looked as though it had been made with an undercooked wonton wrapper.

Senor Frog’s is quite large, and the decor is festively colorful. My server, it should be mentioned, was quite good. Although I’ve never been much of a fan of waiters who initiate a “so where are you from?” kind of patter, this server did it with ease and with a sincerity I actually believed.

Still, I doubt I’ll be returning to SF’s, and I’m guessing few of you have much interest, either. But in case you were interested, now you know where you can go and have someone with a backpack filled with alcohol squirt some into your mouth.

Senor Frog’s is at 8747 International Drive, Orlando. It’s open for lunch and dinner daily, late every night. Here’s a link to the Senor Frog’s website, but, frankly, it’s pretty worthless in terms of information. The phone number (which, for instance, is not available on the website -- neither is the address for that matter) is 407-351-2525.